Improvement in rotary engines



.WILLIAM P. WENTWORTH.

Improvement in Roiary Engines.

No. H8,993; Patented Sep. 12,1871. f

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PATENT GFFICE.

WILLIAM P. WENTWORTH, OF SENECA FALLS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 118,993, dated September 12, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. WENTWORTH, of Seneca Falls, in the county of Seneca and in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side eleva-tion of my device with one of the cylinder-heads removed. Fig. 2 is a like view of the cylinder with one head, the pistons, and the piston-head removed, and a portion of said ease broken away so as to show the form of the ports. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the inner edge of one of the pistons, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

My invention is an improvement upon that class of rotary engines in which the interior of the cylinder is formed upon one circle, and has for its object the prevention of back-pressure; to which end it consists in providing upon one side of a cylinder, formed interiorly upon a single circle, a recess which corresponds to and receives a portion of the cylindrical piston-head, and is eccentric to the circle of said cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified.

In the annexed drawing, A represents the casing of the device, having the general exterior form of the short section of a cylinder supported in avertical position upon and by means of a base, B, and provided upon its upper edge with two bosses, C, which extend vertically upward, and contain the induction and eduction steamports. Interiorly the casing is recessed out from one side upon a line corresponding circumferentially and longitudinally with its periphery, and within the inner face of the solid end D, which forms one of its heads, is cut a right-angled concentric groove E. The piston-head F corresponds in shape to the interior of the cylinder and in thickness to its depth, but has a considerably less diameter than the same, and is provided with a central shaft, G, which, extending outward from either side, passes through suitable openings H within the head D, and through a corresponding head placed over the opposite open end of said cylinder, said openings being placed above the center of said cylinder so as to throw the periphery of said piston-head slightly above the upper side of the interior of the latter. In order to accommodate the piston-head the upper contiguous portion of the cylinder is recessed out upon a line corresponding to that of the periphery of said piston-head, so that when the same is in position about one-fourth of its periphery ts into and is embraced by said recess a, while, as the balance of said piston-head is eccentric to the interior of said cylinder, a crescent-shaped space is left between said parts. Extending radially outward from opposite sides of the shaft G are two slots, f, which extend through the pistonhead F in a line with said shaft, and each contains a piston, I, that corresponds exteriorly to the interior of said slots, and closely iills the space laterally and radially within the same. Extending laterally and horizontally outward from the rear edge and inner end of each piston is a short cylindrical guide or stud, upon which is journaled a roller, K, that corresponds in diameter and length to the width and depth of the groove E, and when the parts are in position rests within the same, said groove being so arranged with reference to the interior of the cylinder as to cause the outer ends of said pistons to bear against the same. The steam-ports L pass inward through the bosses C, and at their lower ends are squared and enlarged on a line with the circle of the cylinder, said enlargement being wholly upon the outer side of each port. Said ports are so arranged as that their inner sides are just within the recess a, which contains the upper edge of the piston-head.

As thus constructed it will be seen that, as the piston-head revolves, each piston passing upward is gradually withdrawn within the same until, at the point where it enters the recess a, said piston is entirely within said piston-head and offers no surface to the pressure of the steam, which has, con sequently, escaped through the exhaust-port. Upon emerging from the recess a the piston commences its radially outward movement from the piston-head, but presents no surface to the action ofthe steam until after it has passed the inductionport, so that back-pressure is rendered impossible and the full force of said steam is exerted in a forward direction. The effect of the rollers upon the guides is to substitute a rolling for a sliding bearing, by which means the durability and efficiency of the parts are largely increased.

' Having thus fully set forth the nature and mer- Y In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have its of my lnvention, what I chi-1m as new 1shereunto set my hand this 15th dil-y of August,

WILLIAM P. WENTWORTH.

In the cylinder A 0f 2L rotary engine having its 1871. interior formed upon a single circle eccentric to the piston-head F, a recess, a, which corresponds to and receives a portion of the periphery of seid piston-head, substantially as and for the purpose specified. 4

Witnesses:

GEO. S. PRINDLE, EDM. F. BROWN. 

